


Accepting Fear

by Stressedtoimpress



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Angst, Angst and Feels, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Canonical Child Abuse, Child Abuse, Enemies to Friends, Flash Thompson Redemption, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Inspired by Fanfiction, Past Abuse, Past Child Abuse, Past Rape/Non-con, Past Sexual Abuse, its canonical in the comics so I’m tagging it that, read the notes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-14
Updated: 2019-08-14
Packaged: 2020-08-23 09:09:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,126
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20240350
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stressedtoimpress/pseuds/Stressedtoimpress
Summary: Everyone has their demons, and after Flash assists at an unfortunate run-in with Peter’s, they go out for ice cream and swap traumas(This is written as a continuation of Skipping Fear by The_Quierdest, you don’t have to but you should read it first! https://archiveofourown.org/works/19254316)





	Accepting Fear

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Skipping Fear](https://archiveofourown.org/works/19254316) by [The_Quierdest](https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Quierdest/pseuds/The_Quierdest). 

Peter pushed his ice cream around the cup awkwardly and pulled the jacket tighter around his shoulders—Flash’s jacket that he had so graciously offered. Speaking of Flash, who wasn’t even touching his own ice cream, he gave Peter a nervous side glance, hoping he would break the tension first.

Then it hit him that  _ of course _ Peter wasn’t going to talk first, he just got  _ assaulted.  _ Way to go, genius. 

Flash swallows nervously. “So um…who was that?”

Peter’s breath hitched.  _ Shit shit shit shit shit— _

“Oh, wait,  _ nonono! _ If you don’t want to tell me then—”

Peter laughed.  _ Laughed?  _ Why is he  _ laughing _ of all things right now? Granted it was more of a sad laugh rather than a humorous one but—

Jesus  _ fuck _ he was bad at reading people.

“Um…I’m sorry?” He stammered out.

Peter gave a melancholy smile. “No, you’re good, you didn’t do anything wrong. It’s just—judging by your reaction, you don’t comfort people often, do you?”

Flash looked down sheepishly, his cheeks burning in embarrassment. 

Peter took that as a no and took a small bite of his ice cream. “It’s okay, we all gotta start somewhere. Thanks, by the way, for the ice cream.”

“Uh…yeah, of course man. Least I could do after…that.” Flash struggled to put into words.

Peter sighed. “Yeah, about ‘that.’ I guess you do kind of have a right to know.” He took another bite of his ice cream, pondering for a moment. “Well, I guess there’s no cushy way of putting this. Guess I just gotta say it, like ripping off a band-aid”

Peter took a deep breath, and looked up, making direct eye contact with Flash. “His name is Skip Westcott. He was my babysitter when I was little.” A pause. Oh god. Please no. Please don’t be what Flash thinks it is. Please let that be all it is, don’t say anything worse—

But then Peter spoke again. 

“He molested me.”

Flash’s heart skipped a beat, unable to form any words as he stared into Peter’s chocolate brown eyes, locked in a terrifying gaze.

_ _ He may not have looked like it, but his heart was pounding harder than it ever had before.  _ No _ .  _ Not Peter _ . He had heard the vile words coming out of Skip’s mouth. He had gathered that they knew each other previously, and he knew what Skip’s intent was with Peter, and he had been hoping, hell,  _ praying  _ that Skip hadn’t laid a hand on Peter before, and that this was the first time he went after him.

But unfortunately his fears were correct.

As much as Flash picked on Peter, he didn’t hate him. Hell, Flash didn’t even dislike him. As awful as this sounds, he was just an easy target. Someone he could project his anger and self-loathing onto without repercussion. Really, Peter was one of the best and most kindhearted people Flash knew, and even he knew that Peter didn’t deserve this. He didn’t deserve  _ any  _ of the things he’d been through, especially what Flash has put him through himself.

The back of Flash’s throat burned as he felt bile rise in the back of it, and the only word he managed to choke out was a simple “Oh.”

Peter gave another sad laugh, breaking their eye contact and going back to poking at his ice cream. “Yeah. ‘Oh’ indeed.”

A question burned in the back of Flash’s mind. He was so casual about it? If it were him in Peter’s situation there’s no way he’d be able to be. “How did you…how are you able to talk about it so easily?” Flash managed to get out.

“Uh…I’ve been to therapy, dealt with it healthily, um… something about my trauma not defining me, I don’t know. Truth be told, there isn’t a straight answer. It wasn’t one conscious decision. When it first happened to me um...8 years ago I think, I couldn’t speak a word about it. It took hours to wrestle enough or of me that we could use to convict Skip. But, as time went on and I visited therapist after therapist, I started recovering. It was a long and difficult process, but the more I recovered the easier it became to talk about. It still makes me kinda...sick whenever I think about it too much, but that’s okay. It’ll always be a part of me, but that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t talk about it. It happened and it really sucked, but we should acknowledge it, you know?”

Flash was amazed. He was amazed that Peter still continued to be one of the strongest people he knew. God, how could someone be this  _ good. _ “That’s...that’s really great to hear, Parker. You said he was convicted?”

Peter nodded. “Yeah. We got him locked up for a while but um…I guess he got out somehow. I’m just hoping that it wasn’t legally. Unlikely, but I don’t like the idea that he was just…let out to roam free.” he stabbed at his ice cream in frustration.

“Well, the police will get him, and if they didn’t this time, uh…” Flash paused and contemplated his next words, not exactly confident he wanted to offer up his idea. Well, you miss every opportunity you don’t take. Here goes nothing.

“I could always help you file a police report…’cause my dad’s a cop so…I know how.” He supplied lamely. It was a dumb offer to make, filing a police report isn’t  _ hard,  _ hell, he probably knew how to already; but he wanted to help, and growing up around the police meant it was probably one of the only things he was good at.

Peter smiled. “I think I’ve got it, thanks for the offer, though.”

Great. Great going Flash. Great going with your dumb offer. Congratulations, you’re an idiot.

Flash felt like the silence around them was suffocating when suddenly—

“Hey Flash? What’s your dad like?”

Flash’s breath got caught in his throat. “He’s... fine? Why do you ask?” He tried to play it off. It  _ was  _ a valid question after all. Of course, it did seem strange that Parker would ask him that. Why did  _ he _ care?

“Oh, I dunno. It’s just that…” Peter paused, trying to choose his next words carefully. “I’ve…god how do I say this? You’re kind of...um...”

“I’m kind of what?! Just spit it out already!” Flash snapped. Peter jumped. Oh shit. Oh  _ shit.  _ Good job,  _ Eugene _ ! You scared him, now he won’t want to talk to you! God, you really  _ aren’t  _ good for much are you?

“Wait! I didn’t mean—I…” Flash sighed. “I’m sorry...really. I didn’t mean to snap at you. I just um…” he struggled to find the right words without making himself look like a total asshat.

“You don't handle people’s opinions well?”

Flash was stunned. He got it. “I—well, yeah, I guess. But how did you know that’s what I was um…trying to say.” He looked down nervously, slightly embarrassed.

“Well, what I’ve been trying to get out is...I’ve noticed things about you, Flash. You miss days of school, sometimes you cover up on blisteringly hot days, I uh…you came in with limp once. I wanted to ask you about it but you were especially snappy that day. There’s clearly something up with you.”

“I’m fine—”

“No, you’re not fine! There’s no way to handwave all of that away! There’s no reasonable explanation for this stuff!” Peter slammed a hand on the table and a fiery pair of eyes met Flash’s. There was a kind of anger behind them, but it wasn’t the kind Flash was used to seeing. It was a defensive kind of anger, the unfamiliar kind.

Flash had no comeback. He could only insist he was fine but Peter wasn’t having any of that. “It’s none of your business…” he mumbled.

Peter took a deep breath to calm himself. “You’re right, maybe it isn’t, but now that I’ve gotten to know you a bit more…I can’t just let this happen anymore. I’ve been waiting for the right time to bring this up, and I can’t wait any longer! I—I saw you on the phone with your dad once.”

Oh shit. 

“I couldn’t make everything out, but he was angry, and saying a lot of unkind things. I would’ve brushed it off except…you were  _ scared.”  _ Peter’s voice began to shake. “I had never seen you scared before and...it scared  _ me.  _ You seemed like an entirely different person.” Peter’s eyes looked shiny. Oh god, he’s going to cry. Flash prayed he wasn’t going to cry. “I’m not exactly sure what he said next but…it sounded like a threat. It  _ was  _ a threat, no doubt about it.” A few tears fell down Peter’s face. “He’s—he hurts you, doesn’t he?” His final sentence was said so quiet it was nearly a whisper as the tears continued to fall. Great, you made him cry! Could you be any worse at this?

Flash couldn’t exactly tell you why, but he leaned forward to wipe Peter’s tears. Peter’s skin was soft against Flash’s calloused hands, but to Flash’s surprise, Peter accepted the gesture, and leaned into the touch.

Flash swallowed nervously. “Don’t cry,” he muttered. “It’s okay. I’m okay.”

“But you’re not. I know you’re not. Answer my question, Flash.”

Flash leaned back into his seat and but his lip. There was no denying it now. “He does, but...I can handle it,” Hell, with the way he treated others he was certain he  _ deserved _ it at this point, but he couldn’t say that to Peter, he wouldn’t agree. “and it’s better me than my little sister.”

“How old is your sister?”

“Eleven.”

Peter’s face instantly somehow became  _ even more soul-crushing  _ and all Flash could think was ‘don’t waste your sympathy on me.’

“You let him hit you to protect your sister?” Peter’s voice was almost a whimper at this point, as if it was even worse than he thought—which it probably was. Flash wishes Peter would just stop prying because he didn’t know if he could handle hearing Peter’s concern anymore.

“Yeah? So what? Why do you even care?!”

“Flash, I—”

“After all I’ve done to you, why are you being so  _ nice  _ to me!?!” He felt his eyes begin to sting. Oh god not him too. And not now of all times, not in front of Peter  _ fucking _ Parker.

“Because everyone has their own struggles, Flash, and I’ve learned not to judge people without knowing them.” God, could he get any more perfect? 

Apparently yes actually, because Peter reached across the table and placed his hand over Flash’s, and his face heated up as the tears began to fall.

“You’re not a bad guy.” Peter continued. You may be a little rough around the edges, but you’re not bad.”

“That’s what you think.” Flash said through another round of tears and sniffed. “I don’t have to act like a world-class asshole just because my dad’s an even bigger one. That doesn’t make it right.”

Peter rubbed circles into the back of Flash’s hand. “You’re right. That doesn’t justify it, but it does explain it. If you had a better father I strongly believe you would’ve turned out a lot cleaner. You don’t have to believe me, but you helped me today Flash, in more ways than one. That proves you’re a good person, even if you’re a dick sometimes.”

Flash let out some more sobs he desperately tried yet failed to stop. He laid his head down in the table and Peter just squeezed his hand and let him cry, occasionally running a hand through his hair. After he had cried out as much as he could and now was simply laying there, letting out labored breaths, Peter spoke again.

“Flash, I can’t let you go home.

Flash looked up and his eyes met Peter’s again, and knew these were eyes he could trust. “I know.”

“You can stay at my place tonight, I’m sure Aunt May won’t mind when she hears how awful you’ve got it at home. We can decide what to do in the morning, about Skip  _ and  _ about your dad. Now here, you can have this back now, I think you need it more than I do.” With his comforting words, Peter shrugged off the jacket Flash had given him earlier as an extra form of comfort, and handed it back. When Flash accepted it, he did something he hadn’t done genuinely in a long time.

He smiled.

Things weren’t okay, for either of them, but today was a sign.

Things were going to be okay. Maybe not today, but eventually.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey hey hey like I said this is a continuation of Skipping Fear by The_Quierdest! I felt like it was a lovely story and I wanted to expand on it! DEFINITELY go read theirs as they deserve all the attention, read it here! https://archiveofourown.org/works/19254316


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